Tuesday, 27 April 2010

Saturday rush-job

It was a bit of a rush job on Saturday @ the allotment. Half ten til one, so no digging for me. However, I did do lots of weeding and watering, as well as getting on with more sowing.

This time it was some mangetout, 3 sets of 3 seeds next to a bamboo tripod. I covered the seeds with plastic bottle sections to protect the shoots from birds and to focus my watering.

I also planted some sugar snaps next to the pea trellis. I made a second trellis frame and sowed the sugar snaps. I thought some cornflowers scattered amongst them would look nice, so they went in too.

This is how that bed now looks. Sugar snaps & cornflowers under the two polytunnels on the left, the mangetout tripod in the centre with protective plastic bottles and the far right, 2 polytunnels of peas.

I also planted out some sunflowers into pots as I am worried about the direct-sown sunflowers still not making an appearence. Perhaps I planted them too early? It has been cold overnight. Well, I can but wait and see what happens. If they're all a no-show I'll simply try some more seed. The sunflower plant pots went into my mini-greenhouse with the rest of the potted seeds. The yellow scallop squash has started to show, and some courgettes. Hopefully everything will germinate soon.

I planted two hollyhock plants last time I was at the allotment but I don't think I mentioned it. They're at the 'shed end' next to the globe artichoke there. There is a white one and a scarlet red one. Looking forward to seeing them. They're such magnificent flowers. That's them, next to 'Bob' my plastic pigeon :)

My spring flowers are also coming on well. New to flower are these narcissi...

...and some tulips in red. There are white ones to follow.

There will be irises and ranunculus to follow. The big bushy plant to the far left of the photo is 'Black Stockings', which I put in last year after loving it at Hidcote Gardens. The smaller green plant is a Lady's Mantle (love the fan-type leaves!) and in the plant pot is the mint.

Bad news on the tomato front on my balcony... I did something really dumb and I fed them with too strong a mix, I think. They're looking very sad and I am not sure if they will recover. Damn. Human error!

1 comment:

You're really cracking on with everything and your pea bed looks the business. My peas are still in toilet roll inners waiting to be planted out. I'm growing three kinds of sunflowers this year, they're lovely flowers. It looks like you're going to have a really colourful allotment this year with all the flowers you've got coming. I'm having a go at growing some flowers for cutting this year, after last years cutting bed never really got going. I don't feed my tomatoes until they start setting fruit, are your's at this stage?

Welcome to my allotment blog
This is still pretty new for me. I spend my working days in a nasty black glass box of an office in front of a computer all day, mon-fri. I live in a flat with no outside space. I needed to get back in touch with nature and try to 'grow my own'. I got my allotment in April 09, after a year of waiting, and got stuck straight in with only books, the internet and guesswork to guide me. This blog charts my progress from that very first day. I hope you enjoy reading my ramblings, ups and downs and enjoy seeing photos of my progress.

Me, the Green Grower

the face behind the blog :)

About Me

I'm a novice gardener and a contemporary kiln-fused glass artist and crafter, living and working in Cheltenham, UK, on the edge of the beautiful Cotswolds. By day I work as a graphic designer for a children's publisher and create all my glassy goodies in my 'spare time'. I love creating and I hope you enjoy seeing (/purchasing?!) my work and reading my waffle in this blog. Do take a look at my website: http://www.handmadeheaven.biz/